The project “SPACES – Social Pathways: A Community Engagement Methodology” consists of a partnership between Marca-ADL and Kırkayak Kültür, a Turkish organization, more specifically from the city of Gaziantep, which aims to connect Portugal and Turkey in the development and application of a participatory and community intervention methodology for the creation/adaptation of green spaces, promoting inclusive and sustainable public spaces that combat social exclusion and foster socially cohesive local communities.
Project resources HERE
SPACES takes place in two major phases, that of the construction and development of the intervention methodology, reported in a handbook that summarizes the entire experience, and that of community intervention in each of the two locations identified both in Montemor-o-Novo and Gaziantep. During the first phase, it was also possible not only to apply questionnaires to the population about the places to intervene, but also to develop a card game for the exploration of green spaces, which helps communities to think and reflect on these public spaces and their importance.
Regarding the 2nd phase of the project, in Gaziantep the participating community decided to create a greenhouse for the production of plant-based foods within the city’s Botanical Garden, while in Montemor-o-Novo the community intervened in the reinforcement and improvement of common spaces in the Quinta da Nora Garden.
During this process, in Montemor-o-Novo alone, 18 activities were carried out, involving 4 local entities and more than 300 participants cumulatively in all these activities.
This project is part of THE:PLACE program, coordinated by ALDA and MAD associations and financed by Stiftung Mercator. THE:PLACE aims to build lasting Turkey – European Union networks between Civil Society Organizations working on local issues, promoting an exchange that aims to increase their ability to create a significant impact in their respective areas of activity. This program thus seeks to create quadrilateral partnerships that favor the training of Civil Society Organizations and Local Authorities as actors in local development, through the development of specific capabilities, peer learning and joint cooperation in common projects designed together.
